Federal Interagency Members Meet with Public on Next Steps for the National AIDS Strategy

By Julia Eisman, New Media Communications Director, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Gregorio Millett, Senior Policy Advisor in the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, addresses the crowd

Approximately 200 people gathered today to hear about progress on one of President Obama's major initiatives—the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). This meeting provided an opportunity to update the public on the process for developing the Strategy, as well as current status and next steps. It allowed the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) and HHS to share feedback from community discussions which began last summer, and offered participants the opportunity to meet with the Federal HIV Interagency Working Group – made up of representatives from agencies working on HIV/AIDS across the Federal government, including White House offices. The working group was brought together in an effort to establish a coordinated response to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

FDA Advises Patients and Care Providers on Drug Combination Safety Considerations

By Erica Jefferson, the Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is committed to keeping the public updated on advances and shifts in treatment options and methods. The FDA is reviewing data that suggest use of the HIV drug Invirase (saquinavir) in combination with Norvir (ritonavir) may have a potentially serious effect on a patient’s heart.

The data, drawn from clinical trials, indicate that the two drugs taken together may affect the normal electrical activity of the heart.

ONAP Announces Federal Interagency Members Developing National HIV/AIDS Strategy

By Gregorio Millett, Senior Policy Advisor in the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (Cross-posted from the Office of National AIDS Policy Blog)

Office of National AIDS Policy Director Jeffrey Crowley speaks at a community discussion in Houston, TX.

On Wednesday, February 24th, from 2:00-3:45pm, the public will have an opportunity to hear more about our progress to date and the process that the interagency working group is following to develop the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, as well as meet the members of the interagency working group. The meeting is hosted by the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) and the Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The meeting is not a community discussion, but designed to give the public an opportunity to hear what has already taken place and our next steps in developing the strategy.(See an agenda of the meeting.)

Global Health Initiative: How PEPFAR Fits In

By Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (Cross-posted from the State Department Blog)

Earlier this month, the Obama Administration revealed an important new piece of its foreign policy agenda: a consultation document on the strategy for the Global Health Initiative (GHI). This document outlines the U.S. Government’s operation plan for the GHI, emphasizing integration of programming, implementation of sustainable efforts, efficient approaches with positive results and collaboration among partners.

Highlights from the 2010 Conference on Retroviral and Opportunistic Infections

By Daniella Rivera, AIDS.gov Fellow

A week ago we blogged about ways to stay connected to the 17th Conference on Retroviral and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). Since then, the world's premiere researchers and scientists have come together at the San Francisco Moscone Center to discuss advances and future directions in the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS. Throughout the conference (which ends today), conference organizers and participants have shared breaking news through Twitter (using the hashtag #CROI ), through webcasts and podcasts of the sessions, and through email updates from AIDSMap . From Washington, DC to India, Kenya and beyond, researchers and scientists have presented the latest findings on topics like global epidemiology, Human Genome sequencing and HIV-1, and reducing Mother to Child Transmission.